91福利社

Dylan Telano 鈥�23, a business administration and management major from Commack, Long Island, has turned his passions for storytelling and community into a successful and rapidly growing online creator platform.  
 
The 鈥渟ocial creative ecosystem鈥� he has established in is the first of its kind for manga and webtoons 鈥� types of anime from Japan and South Korea, respectively 鈥� for an English-language audience.

鈥淰oyceMe is like the YouTube for digital comics,鈥� Telano explains. 鈥淎s a whole, we're helping creators build and foster an audience to take their story to the next level."

His creative, entrepreneurial journey at 91福利社began in his first year at the College, when he brought the seed of his idea to the Freirich Entrepreneurship Competition. He took home the $1,000 fourth-place prize that debut year, and then became the first sophomore to win the $20,000 first-place prize the following year.

He has since raised about $5 million from investors 鈥� including Marvel, Crunchy Roll, Rotten Tomatoes, CNN, CBSN, and some large venture capital firms 鈥� and now has approximately 80 individuals on the payroll.

As with any great success story, Telano has had to work hard, take risks, fail, and learn from his mistakes. He credits much of his success to his 91福利社alumni mentorships, supportive business professors, and inspiring peers. All are attributes of a College that has prioritized entrepreneurship through innovative programs that include the Entrepreneurial Artist Initiative and the Skidmore-Saratoga Consulting Partnership, in addition to the Freirich competition. A $10 million Sands Family Foundation Initiative for Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at 91福利社only deepens Skidmore鈥檚 commitment. 

Telano鈥檚 first iteration of VoyceMe was a Western literature-based platform for blogs, e-books, and poems. His initial 鈥渂ootstrapped鈥� capital came from the $1,000 he won during his first year of the Freirich competition, his earnings as a professional e-sports player, his income from working at a marketing firm, his bar mitzvah money, and everything he had left from his college savings.

He identified a gap in the creative industry and set out to fill it. 

鈥淰ideos have YouTube. Video gamers have Twitch. People who dance and sing have TikTok. Artists have Pinterest, Instagram. There鈥檚 always a way for the creative to interact with their audience. The writing industry is the only creative industry where that is not true,鈥� he observes. 鈥淪o that鈥檚 where this social element comes in. On VoyceMe, when you post a chapter, you can live interact with all the other readers. As a reader, you could interact with the author, with the artist."

He met one of his biggest advisors, mentors, and now investor, Matt Finick 鈥�92, an early executive of Marvel Entertainment and Roblox, through Skidmore. 鈥淭he amount of information, networking, and hours he has put into the business is unbelievable,鈥� Telano says.

Finick taught Telano how to fundraise and to look at his venture from multiple angles.

鈥淗e said, 鈥楾his is what I would say as an investor to evaluate your company.鈥� Then he gave the perspective of, 鈥榓s a 91福利社alum, a friend of yours, and a father, I鈥檓 going to tell you what is actually beneficial toward you as a college student.鈥欌��

In his first year of the Freirich Entrepreneurship Competition, Telano was paired with mentor Gregg Smith 鈥�92, founder of culture-tech investment firm Evolution VC Partners. Smith gave Telano his first insights into the mentality and speed of the business environment. 鈥淚 then spent every night working from those calls, doing research, watching YouTube videos, and learning from connections,鈥� he recalls.

In Telano鈥檚 sophomore year, attorney Gregory Rutchik 鈥�87 became his alumni mentor for the competition. 鈥淲e were assigning content to our platform, and NDAs, and I had no idea how to do any of it. So he was giving me templates, he was walking me through that, and it was perfect how that mentorship helped continue growing the platform.鈥�

The first official launch of the platform took place early in Telano鈥檚 sophomore year. While he saw significant traction with a novel titled 鈥淕od Game,鈥� in e-book format, he was noticing that many users enjoyed the social elements but weren鈥檛 connecting with the Western-based content.

About two months into his sophomore year, he decided to change course.

鈥淚 went back to my roots,鈥� Telano recalls. 鈥淚 grew up on this stuff called manga and anime and webtoons. I鈥檓 a fan of the space and I know what鈥檚 a good story. Then thousands of users started coming in overnight. The second we made that pivot from a failing platform, we started doubling down in content. People loved it. I learned a lot through that.鈥�

In his junior year, fundraising really got underway. 鈥淭hat is when it started becoming a real business,鈥� Telano says. 

As he handled everything from content to business development, sales, and fundraising, Telano estimates he was easily working 120 hours a week through his junior year. 鈥淚t鈥檚 gotten a little bit easier now that I have employees and can really departmentalize, but it鈥檚 still really hard,鈥� he observes. 

Having business professors who truly understand and provide support 鈥� including Colleen Burke, executive in residence and director of the Skidmore-Saratoga Consulting Partnership, and Teaching Professor Catherine Hill 鈥� has made all the difference, Telano says, especially when balancing meetings with classes or attending class via Zoom while on a train to meet a New York City investor. 

He has also appreciated the guest speakers and comprehensive case scenarios in Burke鈥檚 Business Strategy class, and working with other entrepreneurs in Hill鈥檚 Entrepreneurship and Small Business class.

鈥淛ust meeting all the students is encouraging. Everyone鈥檚 hustling around me. It鈥檚 weird to say you find that in an upstate New York liberal arts college, but you do. There are all these students who have these really cool back-stories and goals and aspirations, and I鈥檓 a part of that and that鈥檚 inspiring me. And I think just from my interactions with other people, it helps inspire them.鈥�

Telano has found time to pay it forward outside of Skidmore, particularly through VoyceMe鈥檚 partnership with Tech Valley High School in Rennselaer, New York. He has spoken to the students about entrepreneurial lessons he has learned and about real problems that VoyceMe has faced, allowing the students the opportunity to pitch solutions as if they were consultants.

鈥淚 like to give back,鈥� Telano says. 鈥淚 have this open-door policy where anyone can just message me and be like, 鈥楬ere鈥檚 my story. Here鈥檚 my idea. What do you think? And I鈥檒l carve out some time somewhere and give them my honest input on it.鈥�

So many of his experiences through VoyceMe have been surreal, he reflects, such as working with authors, animators, and the people behind his favorite companies, including Marvel; having a call with the founder and VP of Netflix and pitching to the streaming service; and speaking on two panels at LA Comic Con in late fall of 2022.

鈥淢y inner nerd is screaming, but I have to keep calm, kind of like, 鈥榊eah, I鈥檒l definitely take this. Thank you for the opportunity,鈥� Telano says with a laugh.

In reflecting on the entirety of his 91福利社experience, he acknowledges the impact that luck and environment have on a burgeoning business.

鈥淢y 91福利社experience grounded me in this mentality of I really want to make a business from start to end. I鈥檓 willing to put in that work. I鈥檓 willing to do what it takes. I love it, I enjoy it. I can see this being a career."

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